The provincial government is pleased with what they accomplished this fall, and Moose Jaw’s MLAs agree that the province is on the right track.
Yesterday, Dec. 9th, brought to a close the Second Session of the Twenty-Ninth Legislature.
Premier Scott Moe said that “The pandemic has divided our communities and now is the time for Saskatchewan people to come together in unity. It’s more important than ever to take the time to listen to one another, and I believe that the people of this province are making great strides as we overcome the challenges this pandemic has created.”
“We got the work done that we said we were going to do. So it was a good session,” Moose Jaw Wakamow MLA Greg Lawrence said.
Moose Jaw North MLA Tim McLeod explained that the fall session last year was abbreviated, while the spring session this year was unusual because Regina was in lockdown. “So this was the first traditional-length session (in a while), and I thought it was really good. It was a very busy one for the government and we introduced dozens of bills.”
The province is highlighting a few accomplishments in particular, starting with the success they’ve seen in vaccinating children aged five to 11 against COVID-19. Over 37,000 vaccines have been administered to five-to-11-year-olds, representing one-third of that age group in the province. The province reports that this means Saskatchewan is leading the country in this area.
More than 840,000, or 71.3% of Saskatchewan residents are now fully vaccinated.
“I think, you know, the COVID virus is likely something that we’re going to have to learn to live with,” McLeod said. “That’s why it’s been so important to get the vast majority of the community vaccinated.”
McLeod said other COVID treatment options are becoming available now that will further reduce the negative outcomes of the virus and avoid hospitalizations. He added that once people have accepted the long-term reality of COVID and everyone has learned to adapt, the stress will be removed from the healthcare system.
The province and Saskatchewan Health Authority are planning aggressive actions to eliminate the backlog of surgeries caused by the pandemic. MooseJawToday.com will cover those actions and targets in another article.
The Sask Party is also pleased with the economic recovery the province has seen. Employment has now recovered to over 98% of pre-pandemic levels, giving Saskatchewan the third-lowest unemployment rate in the country. Off-reserve Indigenous employment is up 11.8% in full-time jobs, and exports have increased 42% in October 2021 as compared to last October.
MLA Greg Lawrence was especially happy with the economy.
“Nearly $10 billion in private investments has been announced this year,” Lawrence said. He listed a new potash mine, three new canola crushing plants, Canada’s first-ever wheat straw pulping facility, a new urea fertilizer plant, a new oriented strand board mill, and a new timber mill as part of the private money that will “fire up the economy.”
Lawrence noted, in addition, the 16 school projects taking place across Saskatchewan, including the proposed school in the Westheath development plan which Moose Jaw city council approved on Nov. 8. He was also happy with the Great Plains power station under construction just south of the city and said the two projects would create an employment boom over the next four years.
Tim McLeod said that “the latest studies show that we’re predicted to lead the country in economic growth in 2022… So the economy in this province is looking very strong.”
The province’s press release also highlighted the following initiatives:
- the creation of safe zones around hospitals and schools to protect people from harassment;
- enhancing efforts to reduce crime through the creation of new Trafficking Response, Warrant Enforcement Suppression and Crime Reduction teams to target gang-related criminal activity, outstanding warrants, and areas seeing surges in crime;
- taking steps to protect vulnerable people by strengthening the ability to enforce child and spousal support payments;
- expanding harassment protection provisions in the Saskatchewan Employment Act; and
- introducing new measures to stop the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
